Election fever in South Africa

Thursday November 6, 2008
It was five in the morning here in Cape Town when we saw the breaking news that Barack Obama had won the election. At six my phone rang as a leader in my church called to give his congratulations. The phone has not stopped. This election had caught the interest of people all across the Cape. There was the security guard with an Obama button on his shirt. As I stepped in the door to an evening of music, the attendant from the Congo asked me about the election. He had just heard Obama was almost assasinated. Everytime I went to a certain restaurant in the City, another waiter would ask me about the election. And so it went on.
When you live outside of the United States, you sometimes get a better perspective of what people think about this wonderful country. For starters, so many people want to go to America. Can you take me with you is what I always hear. But I also hear the anger at what many see is America's unwise use of power, especially with regard to the current wars. Because my work lies in the are of HIV and AIDS, I often point out the enormous good the United States has done here but the image of a super power flexing her muscle is the one that so often stands out. Understandably the rise of an African American man to the highest office fills Africans with pride, Africans, that is, of all colors. They also see in the President to be, someone who can make a difference in international relations. From my informal poll, they are not expecting miracles for Africa, but already the miracle may be in the hope for a better world they all feel and the sense that anyone, regardless of race, can accomplish what they set their heart to do.
So today I listened as people shared their joy with me, or, unaware of who I was, discussed it in the line at the supermarket. The newpapers spill over with praise. As one American writer quoted, "It is morning in America," and it feels like morning here. Of course, this is only the start and we wait to see how it all unfolds. The campaign theme did give me something to use with the sewing class today. "Yes we can," became "Yes I can," "do all things through Christ who strengthens me." It is a theme to which I shall return again and again. Perhaps, even more than the skills we teach, it the chance we have to get each person to say, "yes I can," inspite of poverty, post-apartheid struggles and yes, even for those who live with HIV and AIDS.